From the Mailbag

Hi Keith,

Here is a link to an excellent article on the Adam Durand/Wegmans Chicken Factory trial, but I thought you might also be interested in a segment of tonight's ABC "Primetime" story.

First some background, in case you haven't had a chance to read the more detailed article. In 2004, three members of a NY-based group called "Compassionate Consumers" entered Wegmans Egg Factory outside of Rochester, NY, in the middle of the night to videotape the conditions of the birds in the factory (after the company repeatedly refused to give them a tour of the facility). Their intent was just to document the conditions of the birds, but they found 11 birds that were so near death that they needed immediate veterinary care. So, they rescued these 11 birds. As a result, they were charged with felony burglary. As a philosopher, a lawyer, and an animal advocate, I thought the case might be of particular interest to you.

Tonight (Thursday, May 11 at 9:00 p.m. central time), ABC "Primetime" will be running a story about Compassionate Consumers' investigation into Wegmans egg farm and the documentary video that got Adam Durand, Megan Cosgrove, and Melanie Ippolito arrested for trespassing and rescuing 11 hens. It will be interesting to see how ABC depicts these three compassionate consumers. Will they be portrayed as brave compassionate heroes or animal rights wackos? Will Durand be the villain or will Wegmans??? We'll see!

Best,
Mylan